FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS!

Q: How will the Health Freedom Bill, once enacted, change my day-to-day life as a holistic practitioner?
A: If you are a licensed practitioner, such as an MD, DO, chiropractor, dietitian, psychologist, psychiatrist, or massage therapist, this bill won't change that much about what you do. If you are unlicensed holistic practitioner, this bill is meant for you. With the Health Freedom bill, we endeavor to make it clear and legal how an unlicensed practitioner should operate. We will provide a clear set of rules that an unlicensed practitioner must follow, and if they follow those rules, they cannot be shut down or harassed.

Q: Are you associated with any other groups locally or nationally?
A: Yes. We are associated with Health Freedom for All (HFFA), an advocacy organization that works on issues that protects the ability for consumers to choose which practitioner is right for themselves and their families and practitioners right to practice with limited government interference.

Q: What is the Ohio Health Freedom Coalition's stance regarding non-licensed practitioners?
A: We support the right of the practitioner to practice any and all modalities for which they are trained and qualified. There are many therapies and professions for which licensure will likely never be available. We support legislation that will affirm the right of these practitioners to offer their services legally which provides the health care consumer with a full array of choices for supporting health and well-being.

Q: What is the Ohio Health Freedom Coalition's stance regarding licensure for Naturopathic Doctors (ND)?
A: Again, we support the right of practitioners to be able to practice whichever method for which they have completed training. We support licensure for ND's who are trained physicians (i.e. have completed clinical training) and who are eligible for a license to practice medicine (making diagnoses and prescribing medication, IV therapies, and other treatments to treat the diagnosis), as long as the licensure bill does not prohibit others from practicing.

Q: If the ND scope of practice contains a therapy, such as homeopathy, how does that affect natural health practitioners, nutritionists, or health counselors, who are non-licensed, if they utilize such therapy with their clients?
A: ALL licensure bills for ND's (passed or pending) have homeopathy as part of the ND scope of practice but that does not mean that they have the EXCLUSIVE right to practice homeopathy. Licensure bills are for physicians who are practicing medicine. Natural health care practice does not include that for which the practitioner is not qualified (such as the scope of practicing medicine) but this would not restrict a trained natural health practitioner from using modalities (ie. Homeopathy, nutrition counseling, various detoxification therapies, etc.) that do not require medical training and licensure to perform. For instance, ND's are trained in manual manipulation and acupuncture but those therapies (both of which require licensure) are also in the scope of practice for chiropractors, acupuncturists, osteopathic and even medical doctors. In other words, the fact that a therapy exists in a scope of practice does not mean it is exclusive to that profession.

Q: If Ohio Health Freedom Coalition support licensed practitioners, doesn't that mean that they not on the side of the non-licensed practitioner?
A: On the contrary, all holistic and integrative practitioners, licensed and non-licensed, need to work together. Practitioners on both sides need to understand how critical it is to recognize and accept that we face a number of issues and threats from outside our community. We do not need to create division, what we really need to do is unify and find solutions for ALL practitioners, licensed doctors and non-licensed practitioners alike. OHFC is working to be the bridge to solve this dilemma.

Q: It seems like it might be easy for some of the Boards to accuse of any natural health practitioner of doing something wrong even if we aren't doing it.
A: They absolutely can and do, we support legislation that aims to eliminate this practice by requiring that unlicensed practitioners obtain signed copies of a disclosure document from all clients - this not only protects the public, it protects the practitioner. By stating clearly in the disclosure document what you do and do not do, and that you are not licensed by the state it would be hard for the state to accuse you of unlicensed practice.

Q: Are you associated with one particular political party?
A: No, we are a non-partisan political organization; we do not favor Republicans or Democrats. We serve anyone and everyone who is committed to health freedom in Ohio.